Trolley-finder



No. 752,121 PATENTED FEB.16, 1904.

E. s. STIT'L,

TROLLEY FINDER.

APPLICATION FILED 00117, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNITE STATES Patented February 16, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ELISHA SHERMAN ISTITT, or NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS} AITYROLLEY-FIINDER.

srnoIFroA'rIoN forming part of Letters Patent 1%. 752,121, dated February s, 1904 Application filed October 17,1902. Serial No. 127.753. (No model.)

. lowing is a specification. i Figure 1 1s a sl de v1ew of the upper end of a trolley-pole embodying one form ofmy invention. Fig. 2 1s a central longitudinal section of the trolley-pole shown in Fig. 1.- Figs.

.3 1 and 4 'areside and front views, respectively,

showing the guide-fork in operative position.

My invention relates to that class of trolleypoles' which are equipped at their upper ends with devices for facilitating the:placing of.

thetrolley on the wire.

Trolley-poles with a pair of diverging guidearms pivotally mounted on the end of thepole next the trolley are old in the art, and it is old also to provide a spring for returning and holding the arms in their inoperative position and also a cord connected at one end to the arms and having its other end within reach from the platform of the car. Such devices are unsatisfactory mainly on account of requiring the use of springs which aside from being'unreliable' and complicating the device also have a constant tendency to return the arms to inoperative position, sothat it' becomes necessary to maintain tension on the cord While the pole is rising under the influence of the trolley-pole spring; otherwise if the pole be allowed to rise quickly without maintaining this tension on the cord the guidearm spring acts to return the arms to inoperative position: before the trolley has reached the wire, and thus defeat the object of the device. 1 w r My invention has for its object to'provide a trolley-pole of the class above described. of

simple and improved construction and which will also be so constructed as to obviate the use of a spring-controlled fork.

My improved trolley-pole comprises a guidefork pivotally mounted on the pole and adapted to be swung from behind over and in front of its pivot and to .be held in either position by its own weight, and a cord or the like is provided connected with the fork by which the latter is swung over and beyond its pivot into the Wire while this return movement is occurring guides the trolley onto the wire. In the best form of my invention stopsare provided for limiting the extent of movement of the fork and also a rearwardly-extended part A is provided, which when the forkis in its o erative position against one of the stop at Lll be supported to the rear of the pivot, so that pressure from the wire on that part will return the fork to inoperative position.

The advantages of. the above construction are that the fork is held in either of its two positions withoutthe use of springs and is moved positively from one position to the other, as by the operator pulling on the cord or by the wire engaging the part d Thus not only am Lena-bled to dispense with the usual springs employed, but, moreover, Iam enabled to utilize the weight of the fork to hold itin either -of its two positions, so that after the fork has been set in operative position v it cannotbe returned to inoperative position by relieving the strain on the cord or by pressure of the wire on the arms of the fork, but only when the wire has entered the fork and engaged'the part dfiwhen it will-swing the fork back over to the rear side of its pivot and at the same time the trolley will be guided onto the wire. 7

In the drawings, A represents the trolleypole, which is forked at its upper end, as usualy'to receive the. trolley-wheel B, journaled on pin 6, fast in the fork of pole A. On

pin & are pivotally mounted the ends d of; a

' guide-forlrfl whose arms diverge and curve from wheel B, as; shown in Figs. 1 and t. The lower ends (Z of fork D are connected by a crossebar d, which byits engagement with pole A serves, as a stop to limit the movement of-fork D in one direction, while movement of fork D in the opposite direction is limited by a pair of stop-pins d, which also engage pole A. a

Bivotally connected at-its ends to fork D is a bail d, to which is fastened the upper end of a strap or cord 03. It is customary to automatically maintain a downward strain or tension on cord 0?. Therefore in order that this downward pull on cord (l* (which is only intended to keep the cord taut)'shall not elevate fork D the ends of bail (Z are pivoted to fork D quite close to the pivotal pin b. Moreover, when fork D is in its inoperative position the direction of the strain or pull on cord (1 is very nearly across pivotal pin 6, so that the leverage through which the weight of fork D opposes the pull of the automatic reel is sufficient to prevent the reel from raising the fork D. A downward pull on cord d such as is imparted thereto to draw pole A down against the resistance of its usual elevating-spring (not shown) is, however, sufficient to swing fork D on pin 6 until stop d engages pole A and the fork is then in its operative position. 'The part. or Web. 0Z fastened at its side edges to the arms of fork D, is extended or offset sufliciently so that when fork D is in operative position the rear end of web (8 is to the rear of a vertical line passing through pin 6, while the front portion of the part d and the arms of the fork are on moved back to its inoperative position with stop dagainst pole A. Preferably part d is arched, asshown, to provide more or less of a rolling contact with the trolley-wire, and it also has its front end arranged nearer wheel B than its rear end, which insures the wire engaging the rear end first. 'At the lower caved roll, d, journaled on a pin d fast'at its ends in the arms of fork D. The'purpose of this roll is not only to guide the-wire to wheel B, but it also serves as a rotatable stop to preventby its engagement with the trolley-wire the raising of fork D while wheel B is'on the wire. Thus it will be clear that with my improved construction -not only is the weight of the fork utilized to hold it in either of its two positions, but the fork is mo'ved into inoperative position bythe engagement of the wire but I provide a very simple and durable tr'olley-pole which is free from the objectionable features incident to constructions heretofore employed. V i

What I claim is' I 1 A trolley-pole provided with a guide-fork pivotally connected therewith and arranged to swing over its pivot; a cord or the like connected with the fork for swinging the latter from its inoperative position forward beyond its pivot into operative position; a stop for holding the fork in its forward-operative position independently of the cord; and means to cause the engagement of said fork with the trolley-wire to swing it back beyond its pivot into inoperative position.

2. A trolley-pole provided with a guide-fork pivotally connected therewith and arranged to position independently of the cord; and means to cause the engagement of the trolley-wire with the rearward extension ofthe fork, to

swing it back beyond its pivot into inopera tive position.

3. A trolley-pole provided with a guide fork pivotally connected therewith and arranged to swing over its pivot; a cord or the like cen-- nected with the fork for swinging the latter from its inoperative position forward beyond its pivot into operative position; a stop, for holding the fork in its forward operative position independently of the cord; means to cause the engagement of said fork with the trolley-wire to swing it back beyond its pivot into inoperative position, and a stop for holding the fork in itsin'operative position.

4. A trolley-pole provided witha guide-fork pivotally connected therewith; means connected with the fork for operating the latter; stops, and'a weight acting on said fork ahd cooperating with said stops to hold the fork in either one of its two positions independfront end of part cl is arranged a loose con-.-

ently of said fork-operating means. 1

5, A trolley-pole provided witha guide-fork pivotally mounted thereon, and adapted to swing over its pivot; a cord orthe like for swinging the fork forward beyond its pivot into operative position; an extension on the fork adapted, when theforkis in its operative position, to occupy a position back of the pivot and 'in the path of the wire, and two stops for holding the fork in either one of its two positions independently of the cord.

Signed by me at Boston this 16thday-of September, 1902.

L E. SHERMAN srrrr.

Witnesses:

Josnrn T. BRENNAN, GRAon-E. GIBBONS. 

